Japan makes historic moon landing but mission remains up in the air

11 months ago
18

Japan has become the fifth country to land a craft on the moon, but problems with its solar panels mean the mission hangs in the balance.

Dubbed the "moon sniper", the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) probe was attempting a risky landing on a slope at the rim of a crater using "precision" technology.

While the craft landed at about 3.20pm UK time and can communicate with the team on Earth, it cannot generate its own energy - potentially because its solar panels are angled incorrectly.

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